Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Lately

Lately - it seems like I share most of our life through Instagram, rather than this blog. It's so fast and in-the-moment. (I'm @julia_davis7) But for all you who aren't on Instagram - here ya go!

Lately - I've traded in my sewing pursuits for typical summertime things... pool, parks... and some major painting and de-cluttering.

I've been slowly working on a room at a time in our house, purging, de-cluttering, and organizing. Getting rid of stuff is an amazing feeling, even though it's slow going for me. I was inspired last year, by Sarah's 40 Bags in 40 Days concept (and her simple clear tips & tricks on how to go about it). I never did get through our whole house last year.

Then a few months ago I stumbled upon Ann Marie's adorable blog, and she had some free printable charts and more motivation to get going...

So, I tackled our storage room first...

It's one of those rooms that's soooooo nice to have, but quickly becomes the dumping grounds for anything and everything. I gave away/got rid of at least 8 trash bags full of clothes - 4 bags of stuff went to the Goodwill - and 2 big bags went in the trash. Boy does it feel good to have it cleaned out. Now let's see how long it lasts!

Lately - over the last 2 weeks - I re-painted our entire main floor, in Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter. Its a soft greige (gray/beige) and holds it's own against the greenish daytime light cast through the new windows, but we like it at night also. (this is all that was left of our 5-gallon bucket of paint!)

Lately - Jack's been having 4-H shotgun practices to get ready for the big County Shoot, so we spend every Thursday evening (just like last year) at the shooting range - and while he's shooting, the other little ones are playing with cousins and friends, eating a potluck dinner, and generally getting covered in dirt.

Lately - the local (and free) splash-park has also been a huge hit... (and this is how Blaize smiles when he says "cheese".)

Lately - oh yes - Audrey lost one of her front teeth on Friday... and her other front tooth the very next day! And the tooth fairly only forgot 1 out of the 2 nights, which is an improvement for us! I absolutely love it when my kids loose their front teeth. I think it looks so cute. But then I'm always a little sad at the same time - once they loose those baby teeth, their smile will never look quite as young again - just a reminder of how quickly the days are flying by.

1 comment:

Your kids are so adorable, Julia! I've been on a decluttering kick, too -- it started when the kids brought home all their school supplies after emptying out their cubbies and lockers, and it has progressed to the kitchen junk drawer and an embarrassing stash of fabric remnants that I am never going to use, so they had to go. It's amazing how letting go of extra "stuff" can lift your spirits, isn't it? Enjoy your summer!

Our Family

Thanks for stopping by! I am married to my best friend, and a homeschooling mother of 5 littles. (Jack 10, Eleanor 8, Audrey 6, Hannah 5, and Blaize 2). We are surrounded by dirt and constantly immersed in DIY projects, but are happy in the process. I adore quilting, anything creative, and especially my Savior. I am forever restructuring my day to find joy in the simplicity of life at home - which is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy.